The present invention relates generally to thermally insulated packaging, and more specifically to packaging designed for maintaining packaged items in a refrigerated state.
There is an increasing demand for so-called “cold chain” packaging that is suitable for maintaining items at temperatures in the range of 34-48° F. for at least as long as 8 days. Typical items shipped via cold chain packaging include pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs and similar perishable items.
Conventional cold chain packaging typically consists of an outer container, such as a corrugated carton, provided with a lining of either Styrofoam or resilient foam in the form of formed, molded or precut pads, and at least one pre-chilled gel pack, which is a sealed bag-like container of heavy plastic filled with a gel which freezes upon chilling and maintains a relatively low temperature in the container. An exemplary cold chain package is sold by TCP Reliable (www.tcpreliable.com) under the “Timesaver” brand. When a package is desired that has a longer cooling period, a larger outer container is provided, and more layers of foam and gel packs create a thicker insulated compartment.
Thus, current cold chain packaging is limited by size of the package and/or the length of time items can be kept cold. Also, conventional cold chain packages are largely single use, and as such are environmentally inefficient.